Drift

Question

What does 'drift' mean with regard to 'driving'?

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

It's often used to refer to making the car slide sideways at high speed.

Look here.

Clive

Sam1947 · Answer

If I said, "While I was preoccupied with a conversation with my passenger, my car slowly drifted into the adjacent lane," I would mean that my car slowly changed directions and moved over on the road.

It is in contrast to, "I jerked my car into the adjacent lane to avoid a collision when the car next to me suddenly moved over into my lane."

It is a ubiquitous problem now, at least in the U.S., for cars to repeatedly "drift" slightly over into adjacent lanes, or even oncoming lanes on two lane or undivided roads, when the driver is talking on a cell (mobile) phone. Getting home on crowded roads these days has become a little like playing the old carnival game of dodge cars! (Dodge Cars or Bumper Cars is a carnival attraction that has a usually round area filled with small electric cars that don't go very fast, and some of the drivers try to bump other cars, and some try to avoid getting bumped.) Since in rush hour traffic, all lanes are congested, there really isn't anywhere to go to avoid the "drifting" cars, so it is quite a gauntlet to run to get home safely!

Drift

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